Good morning, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Akihiko Tanaka, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

It is a great honor to be invited to this meaningful gathering today. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to ERIA and the United Nations University for organizing this forum, and for providing such a valuable platform for dialogue.

The year 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

At this historic milestone, I am truly honored to explore together how we can shape a more peaceful, secure, and inclusive future in the digital era.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda, the main theme of today’s forum, is an essential framework for advancing Human Security— the guiding principle of JICA’s development cooperation. Let me begin by briefly touching upon this concept.

The concept of Human Security was first introduced in the UNDP Human Development Report in 1994.

Traditionally, the concept of security has focused on protecting a nation, its territory, and sovereignty mainly through diplomacy or military power.

However, even when national security is ensured, the safety and dignity of individuals living within the state are not necessarily protected. As the Human Development Report stated, for most people, security means “protection from the threat of disease, hunger, unemployment, crime, social conflict, political repression, and environmental hazards”.

Yet, the traditional state-centered view of security cannot fully address the individual impact of these threats. Sometimes, the state itself becomes an oppressor of people, or loses its ability to protect people due to civil war or economic collapse.

In this context, the idea of Human Security emerged. This concept places people, not the state, at its center, and aims to build a society where everyone can live with dignity, free from fear and want.

Today, we are facing compounded crises such as pandemics, wars and conflicts, poverty, climate change, natural disasters, and environmental degradation, all deeply linked and mutually reinforcing. No single nation can address these complex and cascading challenges alone. In these circumstances, the concept of Human Security is more important than ever before.

To realize this vision of Human Security, advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda is critical.

Across the world, women and girls continue to face the difficult and challenging realities of structural discrimination and gender-based violence.

According to UN Women, one in three women worldwide has experienced physical and sexual violence. In the ASEAN region, the situation is even worse, with the ASEAN Secretariat reporting that about 38 percent of women have faced some form of gender-based violence in their lifetimes.

These risks intensify during times of crisis such as in conflict, climate change, disasters or pandemics.

During COVID-19, gender-based violence spread as a “shadow pandemic”. UN Women reported that cases of GBV increased by around 30 percent worldwide, and similar trends have been observed during natural disasters, such as typhoons and floods in Indonesia and the Philippines.

These realities remind us that we must strengthen our collective efforts to prevent and respond to GBV and protect the peace, safety, and dignity of women and girls.

Yet, women are not merely victims in need of protection. I would like to emphasize here that women are powerful agents of change who play a vital role in sustaining Human Security.

A remarkable example can be found in Mindanao, the Philippines. During decades of conflict, women played a vital role - caring for those affected by war, mediating community dialogues, and working tirelessly to rebuild trust among divided communities and to break the cycle of violence.

Their actions truly became a driving force for peace. As a result, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement included provisions to protect survivors of sexual violence and to promote women’s participation in politics and the economy, enabling women to take part as official members of the peace negotiation process.

Similarly, during times of disaster such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons, Japanese women have been at the forefront of community resilience, managing evacuation centers and leading community-based disaster risk reduction initiatives.

These experiences demonstrate that women’s participation and leadership are powerful driving forces in advancing peace, recovery, and Human Security. To build a truly sustainable and inclusive society - and to realize the vision of Human Security - we must ensure that women’s voices are heard, and their wisdom and experiences are fully reflected in decision making at every level.

This is equally true in the digital sphere.

Today, digital transformation is rapidly progressing across the world, including in ASEAN countries. This transformation holds great potential to make people’s lives safer and more prosperous, and to further advance Human Security.

Online learning, telemedicine, mobile payments, and digital financial services. These technologies are already transforming people’s lives across the fields of education, healthcare, the economy, and public administration.

On the other hand, we must also recognize that digital transformation can create new forms of inequality and violence. Among them, three challenges stand out as particularly critical:
First, the digital gender divide.
Second, technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
And third, the reproduction of existing gender biases through digital systems.

Let us begin with the digital gender divide.

According to surveys done by the International Telecommunication Union, there is still a significant gap between men and women in internet usage, especially in developing countries.

For example, in high-income countries, the gender gap in internet use is only about 1 percent. However, this gap widens to 18 percent in lower-middle-income countries, and reaches 34 percent in low-income countries.

When it comes to accessing the internet through mobile phones, the global gender gap stands at 14 percent. However, it widens to 29 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 32 percent in South Asia.

Women also have limited opportunities to develop ICT skills. According to UNESCO, women are particularly underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, making up only 35% of STEM graduates - a figure that hasn’t changed in the past ten years.

Such gaps not only limit women’s opportunities for education, employment, and entrepreneurship, but also create a new cycle of inequality in the digital age.

Second, there is a growing trend of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, which poses serious risks to women’s safety and dignity online.

Social media and online spaces have become new arenas where women and girls are exposed to new forms of violence.

Cases of online threats, harassment, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images are increasing. It is reported that between 16 and 58 percent of women and girls worldwide have experienced some form of online violence.

Finally, we must not forget that digital transformation also carries the risk of deepening existing gender inequalities. Technology itself is not neutral. It reflects the values and assumptions of the society that created it.

When gender biases are embedded in the data that trains AI, technology can unintentionally mirror and even magnify discrimination.

Indeed, studies have shown that AI systems sometimes reinforce gender stereotypes, for example, assuming that nurses are women and managers are men.

As we move forward in the wave of Digitalization, we must confront these challenges. Otherwise, digital transformation may not enrich our lives, but instead undermine the very foundation of Human Security.

To make digital transformation a true force for advancing Human Security, it is essential to place women’s participation and leadership at its core. Only when women actively shape the digital society can digital transformation become a truly inclusive and sustainable force for social change.

JICA is also making continuous efforts to turn this vision into reality.

As part of our strategic framework, we have formulated the JICA Global Agenda on “Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.” Through this agenda, we strive to promote women’s participation and leadership across all sectors and programs, including the digital economy, while working to transform social and economic systems to be more genderequal and inclusive.

Today, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce two case studies from JICA’s initiatives.

The first is a project supporting women’s entrepreneurship in Sindh Province, Pakistan.

In Sindh, many women are engaged in home-based work under social constraints, lacking legal protection and stable income.

To address these, JICA has supported women in strengthening life management skills, forming cooperatives, receiving vocational training and marketing support, and connecting with financial institutions and external services.

A key focus of this project was connecting women with digital technologies. We supported online sales using smartphones, information dissemination via social media, mobile account setup, and digital financial literacy training - creating an environment where women can independently participate in the digital economy.

In introducing digital devices, we also provided opportunities to learn about online harassment and countermeasures, helping women use digital tools safely and effectively to maximize their benefits.

As a result, these women entrepreneurs gained new customers online and increased their income. Digital technology has become a powerful tool enabling women to engage in economic activities from home and earn income independently.

Moreover, witnessing these changes in women has gradually influenced the awareness and behavior of men and communities. Seeing women earn income through digital tools has fostered understanding and pride among families and encouraged a positive view of women’s economic roles in society.

Even during the large-scale floods in Pakistan in August 2022, women continued to receive and fulfill orders for handicrafts via smartphones, contributing to household livelihoods. Women’s access to digital tools has become a vital force in responding to crises and supporting post-disaster recovery at both household and community levels.

Next, I would like to introduce a case where JICA promoted women’s participation in the digital economy by financing ICT and technology companies in conflict-affected societies. This is an example of JICA’s private-sector investment finance support in Ukraine and Moldova.

Through investment in a fund targeting ICT and technology companies in both countries, this initiative aims to promote the development of the ICT industry, which is expected to grow rapidly and provide high-income opportunities.

As you know, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, both Ukraine and Moldova have faced humanitarian and economic crises. In Ukraine especially, many men have gone to the battlefield, and women are increasingly taking on economic responsibilities both at home and in society.

In response, JICA signed a 20 million USD investment agreement with Horizon Capital Growth Fund IV, L.P.. Through this initiative, we support job creation, career development, and entrepreneurship opportunities for women in the ICT sector, while also promoting the integration of gender perspectives into corporate management.

The fund promotes gender lens investing, aiming for over 30% of investee companies to be women-led or women-founded. Of the five companies selected for investment so far, two were founded by women. Additionally, the average ratio of women in managerial positions across these companies is 44.6%, and within one year of investment, the number of female employees increased by approximately 200.

These outcomes demonstrate the rise of female leaders in the ICT sector and clearly show that even amid conflict, women are playing a powerful role in driving economic recovery and rebuilding society.

As JICA’s experience shows, women’s participation in the digital economy is not merely a means of economic growth. It is a driving force for rebuilding society and advancing human security, even in times of conflict and crisis.

I firmly believe that trusting in women’s power and nurturing their potential is the key to building a sustainable and peaceful future.

In order to move toward a society where women and girls can live peacefully, safely, and with dignity, JICA will continue to work in close partnership with the private sector, academic and educational institutions, international organizations, civil society, and global partners. We will promote women’s participation and leadership across all fields, including the digital economy, and continue our mission to co-create a future where everyone can live in peace, safety, and dignity.

Today’s theme, “Women, Peace and Digital Transformation,” is indeed a crucial topic that asks how we will live in the coming era and what kind of society we will build.

I sincerely hope that today’s discussions will serve as a catalyst for further advancing the realization of “human security” rooted in gender equality. With that, I conclude my remarks.

Thank you very much for your attention.